Jake walked around the back of the car, shaking his head. How could Elena have made herself even prettier than before? He couldn’t believe that she actually wanted to spend time with him. It was time to get a haircut or something. He just didn’t measure up.
She was the gorgeous, mysterious out-of-towner, and he was just the local boy running a tiny, outdated shop. He had barely left Kittle Falls his whole life. Elena would surely leave as soon as Bobby fixed her car. What did he or the town have to offer someone like her? Elena was probably on her way someplace exciting. That had to be why she didn’t want to talk about it—she didn’t want to make him feel bad.
He sat in the driver’s seat and took a deep breath. The car smelled of the flowers and Elena’s perfume. It was perfect, and he wanted to hold onto the scent for as long as he could.
She smiled at him, still holding the flowers.
Jake wanted to take another picture. He would need as many as possible so he wouldn’t forget a thing about her. None of his brothers would believe he had managed to catch the attention of someone so beautiful.
He started the car and looked forward. He needed to focus on driving, or they would never get to the restaurant. “Want some music?”
“As long as it’s Rod Stewart.” She grinned.
Jake laughed. She had a sense of humor, too. Was she perfect? It was starting to look that way. He turned on the radio, and Barry Manilow blasted from the speakers. He turned the volume down. “I swear, that’s my mom’s station. And she’s deaf. Really, really deaf.” How had the station gotten turned, anyway? Had one of his brothers driven his mom while Jake worked?
Elena laughed. “So, you’re not only a closet Rod Stewart fan, but Barry Manilow too?”
Jake faked a guilty expression. “Now you know. Sure you wanna go out with me? There’s still time to back out.” Though he joked, part of him feared that she would take him up on the offer.
She put her hand up to her chin and pretended to think about it. “I’ll take my chances.”
Relief swept through him. “Glad to hear it.” He pulled out of the parking spot before she could change her mind.
They made small talk on the way to the restaurant. As it turned out, Elena had graduated high school the year after him, so they mostly talked about high school days, comparing favorite bands and movies. At least they had similar tastes. Jake hoped that would help her forget about Barry Manilow.
When he pulled into the restaurant parking lot, he was glad to find it was relatively empty. You never knew during tourist season. If it had been a Friday or Saturday night, they would have been lucky to find a spot without a doubt.
Elena started to open her door.
“Hold it. Let me get that.” Jake hurried around the car and opened the door for her.
“Thank you.” She got out, and he closed it, locking it manually.
Jake took her hand, and they walked to the front doors. Teenagers ran by, yelling and teasing each other. When they got inside, he gave them his name. Elena went into the bathroom, and he took a seat. A couple across from them were all over each other. Jake looked away, wanting to tell them to get a room. He was going to have a hard enough time impressing Elena without those guys making conversation awkward. Kids ran around, bumping into people. Hopefully they would all be seated before Elena came out.
He looked over at the couple seated next to them. The man spoke about his day at work, oblivious that the lady next to him clearly had no interest. In fact, she looked like she wanted to be anywhere else.
Jake shook his head. What an atmosphere. Had he chosen the wrong restaurant, or the wrong night? With any luck, everything at the table would be better. He had wanted a nice night to hopefully convince Elena to stay longer.
Obviously, they weren’t at the point where they could start a relationship. The day they’d met, Jake hadn’t thought he was ready for one, period. But somehow she’d already changed his mind. He wanted to get to know her and find out if it was at least a possibility for her, despite the fact she was so eager to get out of town.
The two annoying couples were taken to tables, and Elena was still in the restroom. Jake eyed the bathroom door. If she took much longer, he would ask someone to check on her. What if she got scared and took off? No, she wouldn’t do that. It was too far to walk back to the hotel. Unless she had decided to take a cab. What if she asked someone leaving to give her a ride back?
“I’ve got to pull myself together,” he muttered. He leaned back, took a deep breath, and watched the others around him. They didn’t help to ease his frayed nerves.
At long last, Elena came out of the bathroom. Her hair was pulled back away from her face, but it still fell over her back behind her shoulders. She looked like an angel.
She sat next to him. “Sorry it took me so long in there. My hair didn’t look right, so I fixed it. Well, I tried but all I did was make it worse, so I had to fix that. It probably doesn’t look any better than it did before….” She grabbed a strand and twirled it. “Sorry.”
“You look fantastic. But you didn’t need to change anything.”
Elena looked away, and then turned back to him. “This place is busy for a weekday.”
Why the change of subject? She seemed so uncomfortable whenever he gave her compliments. When he gave her the flowers and asked to take her picture, she squirmed like he had asked her to do something crazy. Jake gave her a smile he hoped would reassure her that he was normal. “Yeah, but you should see it here on the weekends. You have to wait outside before coming in here to wait.”
“Hunter,” called a server.
“That’s us.” Jake stood and took her hand. He loved the way her soft skin felt against his. She hadn’t yet protested holding his hand, so he was going to as much as she’d let him. There was something different about her that made every little thing exciting, even just hand-holding.
When they got to the table, Elena’s eyes widened and her hands covered her mouth. They were by a window that looked out over the Pacific Ocean. “It’s beautiful.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Jake said. “I asked specifically for a view.”
“I love it.” When they settled in, she looked up from the menu. “What should I get?”
“Everything’s delicious. You can’t go wrong.” He opened up his, although he already knew what he wanted.
Elena squirmed in her seat before turning back to the menu.
“Is everything okay?” Jake asked. She looked really uncomfortable. “Do you want to go somewhere else?”
“No, no. I can’t decide. I just thought you might have a suggestion.” Elena looked like she would break into a sweat.
Jake sat taller and spoke in a soft tone, hoping to help her feel at ease. “I’m going to have the salmon pasta on page seven. I was stuck between that and the lobster one.”
“Lobster sounds good—if that’s okay. Or are we going dutch? I didn’t even think to ask.” She squirmed some more. “Sorry.” A pained expression covered her face.
“I invited you, so it’s my treat. Don’t even look at the prices, okay?”
She looked confused, and then relieved. “Okay. I…I’m not really used to ordering for myself.”
Jake wanted to ask why, but thought she would have a nervous breakdown if he did. Pretending to look at his menu, he studied her as she scanned the pages. Elena was adorable when flustered, but at the same time, she appeared defeated. He felt bad for her. Why would ordering dinner be so hard?
It was then he realized just how little he actually knew about her. Clearly, if he wanted her to let him in, he was going to have to be gentle. She had obviously been through something difficult if simple things like receiving flowers, taking pictures, and choosing food caused her such grief. Jake’s heart ached, thinking about what—or probably who—could have done that to her.
Back at the shop, she had been so confident and happy. It was like she had been a completely different person. Jake thought the way she acted earlier must have been her letting go of whatever bothered her now.
Jake wanted to be the one to help her break free of her past—whatever it was.
Elena set down the menu, and then looked out the window at the water.
“Did you decide?” asked Jake.
“Yeah. Are you sure I can order anything?”
“Anything.” He smiled, hoping to reassure her. “Thanks for all your help with the shop today. You were a lifesaver—and the counter looks great. I can’t remember the last time everything was so nice.”